Chapter 653: Luan Xin [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"Jun Shen!"

Someone called out to Shen Tang.

Shen Tang looked over upon hearing the sound.

She remembered the burly man—the eighth-class passenger who fought Xu Quan during the surprise attack on Beishang County, a martial arts expert who nearly suffered a stroke from high blood pressure due to Xu Quan's sharp tongue. If it weren't for Miao Shu's rescue, he probably would have died that night. The next news she heard about him was that he preferred to work hard to earn enough money to buy his freedom rather than change his allegiance, and he also helped with Miao Shu's burial.

Shen Tang even advised Yang Gong to keep an eye on this person.

She has a natural affinity for this kind of person.

"Is there something you need, General?"

The burly man wasn't fooled by Shen Tang's charms. He clasped his hands in a fist salute and said directly, "I am but a commoner, and dare not presume to call myself a general. I have only one request to make of Lord Shen: my former master has recently passed away, and the journey home is long. I fear for the safety of my mistress and the young ladies, therefore—"

"You can rest assured about this matter. I will send an elite escort to ensure the safety of Wenyan Gong and his entire family." Shen Tang wanted Qiu Cheng's life, not the lives of Qiu Cheng's family. Even for the sake of his good reputation, nothing would happen to the people in his backyard.

The burly man, on the contrary, looked somewhat troubled.

Before he could speak, Shen Tang had already guessed a few things.

"Does the general intend to personally escort Lord Wenyan on his journey?"

The burly man replied without hesitation, "Yes! We still owe Lord Shen the ransom. Once my lord returns home, I will definitely come back to pay it back."

Seeing that Shen Tang did not agree, he became even more determined.

"If Lord Shen agrees, I swear on my life!"

Shen Tang smiled faintly and said, "Let's skip the oath of martial prowess. I have long heard of the General's character and conduct, and I admire him greatly. If I were to make the General swear such an oath, it would not only be that I, Shen Youli, have misjudged him, but it would also be an insult to the General. Isn't that right?"

The burly man's tense face relaxed for a moment, and his voice softened involuntarily. He clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you!"

Shen Tang knew nothing about funeral rites and couldn't offer much help. She did her job of comforting and reassuring Qiu Cheng's family, leaving the rest to Gu Chi and Liao Jia. Knowing she wasn't popular, she chose a corner seat, when she caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of her eye.

Question: "Gongyi, whose injuries have not yet healed, is also keeping vigil?"

The other party replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Although my injuries have not fully healed, they are not so severe that I cannot get up. My former master has passed away, and I had shown him kindness; it is only right and proper that I come to see him off on his final journey..."

Shen Tang nodded.

But she couldn't resist her talkative nature, and after a while, she quietly asked the man again, "Does Gongyi want to come along?"

"Why does my lord ask such a question?"

Shen Tang raised her finger and pointed to her eyes, saying, "Here! I saw you here, and I know you also want to go."

"I want to, but I can't."

Upon hearing this, Shen Tang frowned. The visual impact of this expression coming from her beautiful and charming face was considerable, conveying three parts youthful naiveté and seven parts sincere frankness: "To fulfill your relationship with your former master is also a way to put an end to the past. There's no reason not to agree. I'm not so suspicious and domineering as to forbid people from doing even this kind of thing. You don't need to worry about these things."

The scholar shook his head again.

Seeing this, Shen Tang didn't press the matter. She said, "Since that's the case, I won't say anything more. It's just that the weather is bad now, and it's very cold at night. Your injuries haven't healed yet, so please take care of yourself."

After staying for a while, Shen Tang led his people away.

His expression changed instantly after leaving Tangyuan.

Liao Jia and Gu Chi exchanged a glance, and finally the former spoke up: "It seems that our lord quite likes Luan Gongyi?"

The Luan Gongyi he mentioned was a lame scholar.

His surname was Luan, his given name was Xin, and his courtesy name was Gongyi.

Shen Tang turned her head: "Is it that obvious?"

Liao Jia: "..."

Gu Chi's brows furrowed as if they were about to tie a knot, and his tone became slightly tense: "Why? It seems that the lord and Luan Gongyi have never interacted before?" He was already very displeased by Luan Xin's single thought, and the lord's behavior was also so abnormal.

In an instant, countless sinister words flashed through his mind. Could it be that Luan Xin had set a trap for his lord when he wasn't paying attention? If so, Luan Xin must not be allowed to live! Gu Chi was thinking about when to kill Luan Xin to help Shen Tang get out of the crisis and return to normal, but unexpectedly his lord said, "He's too much of a liar."

Gu Chi: "..."

Liao Jia: "..."

What's plentiful?

My lord, could you please repeat that?

Although both were single, they were not lacking in theoretical knowledge, and some unhealthy thoughts simultaneously surfaced in their minds.

“His literary aura is very special, it’s watery, and it’s very comfortable to be near him.” Shen Tang noticed that the two of them hadn’t recovered their expressions yet, and a flash of inspiration struck her. She twitched her lips and said, “If you two just poured the water out of your brains upstream, you could open a dye shop downstream.”

Adults with filthy minds!

Gu Chi then remembered that Luan Xin had mentioned during the interview that his scholarly way was related to rainwater, and Shen Tang had also taken this point into consideration—a walking irrigation machine, which farming enthusiast wouldn't like—and decided to take Luan Xin on board.

Luan Xin was practically born to farm!

Furthermore, for some reason, Luan Xin only appeared, fully wounded, near the end of the Xiaocheng defense battle. His enmity with Shen Tang wasn't deep, making him even easier to accept. As for his abilities?

Even if he's a complete weakling on the battlefield, he's still a treasure to Shen Tang. If he teams up with Lin Feng, and with the added benefit of the sacrificial ritual, the common people in Shen Tang's territory might finally escape the shadow of famine. She naturally likes Luan Xin.

Gu Chi hesitated for a moment before speaking Luan Xin's words.

He added, "We must be wary of this person."

"Time will tell. If he really has a problem, he'll reveal his flaws over time." Shen Tang didn't seem too concerned about this. It wasn't that she was particularly naive, but rather that Luan Xin, who had surrendered, wasn't the first, nor would he be the last.

If everyone approaches the matter with suspicion, it will be difficult to truly win people's hearts. "Wangchao still doesn't believe in my abilities?"

As long as she wants—

She can win over anyone's favor.

Gu Chi thought about it and agreed.

One cannot condemn someone based on a single statement. One's own scholarly principles can read people's hearts, and if Luan Xin has any disloyal intentions, he will know it immediately.

After Shen Tang and the other two left, the atmosphere in the mourning hall became tense and hostile.

Someone spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"In the past, Wenyan Gong treated public justice with great kindness..."

The foremost strategist under his command.

Even though the First Madam was unaware of the conflict among these people, she sensed the unusual atmosphere in the air. Just as she was about to speak to ease the tension, she heard someone say, "...That's true, but Gongyi has betrayed Wenyan Gong's trust and become the number one coward."

The burly man angrily said, "What do you mean by this? A real man should just say what he means directly. Who are you trying to bully by beating around the bush?"

Someone said, "Don't you know? That day—Luan Gongyi wasn't even on the battlefield! If he had taken action, how could he have been defeated so quickly? Or was he just deceiving Wenyan Gong all along, exaggerating his abilities but actually proving to be neither impressive nor useful?"

How could the burly man believe that?

If Luan Xin hadn't gone to the battlefield, where would he have gotten injured?

Immediately, someone spoke recklessly.

"A cripple..."

The person's voice wasn't loud, but it could be clearly heard in the mourning hall.

Today is the third day of the Lunar New Year, a lucky day. I went to visit relatives. Hehe, my maternal grandfather's village even pooled money to hire an opera troupe. Speaking of opera troupes, it reminds me of when I was sixteen or seventeen, I went to see an opera with my friends from the village, and we came back together... We were so young back then, it's just a pity that my budding romance died in an instant.

P.S.: Ugh, deciding on Luan Xin's given name and courtesy name is driving me crazy! I considered Gongliang, Wenren, Gongye, and Zongzheng, but there are just too many compound surnames. In the end, I reluctantly chose Luan... Sigh, I guess I really am a fan of compound surnames.

P.S.: I really thought about Luan Xin's approach to the scholarly path for a long time (I spent over an hour last night agonizing over his name and his approach to the scholarly path; if it weren't for that, this chapter would probably be longer). This chapter has already planted some foreshadowing; I just wonder if anyone has guessed it (there's a clue in a reader's comment).

(End of this chapter)